In our quest to expose the religion of Mystery Babylon, we need to go back to the beginning when the Serpent (Satan) first introduced mankind to his world view. It was in Eden, that pristine garden of God where Satan planted his evil seeds of pride and rebellion in the hearts of our ancestors. As we will see, it was those seeds which gave rise to the sin which has plagued mankind for the past 6000 years of Biblical history. As the apostle John explains, it was because of this sin that Yeshua, the salvation of YHWH, was sent to redeem mankind:
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)
Let’s now look closer at mankind’s fall in Eden and the “works of the devil” as John describes them, to try and understand how they have influenced mankind’s thinking ever since.
And YHWH God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And YHWH God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:15-17)
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which YHWH God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Genesis 3:1-7
The instructions to Adam were simple, he could eat of all the trees in the garden but one, that tree was “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. It’s curious to note that these instructions were given to Adam before Eve came on the scene. Or so it appears from the text of Genesis 2 & 3.
In any case, the serpent, in an effort to undermine YHWH’s authority and harm mankind, told Eve a clever lie. He said, that contrary to YHWH’s warning that the “tree of knowledge” would bring death, the serpent said they would not die, but rather if they eat the fruit their eyes would be opened, bringing them a special kind of knowledge which would elevate them to the status of gods. Also implied in the serpent’s deception was the idea that YHWH was unfairly withholding knowledge from Adam and Eve, knowledge that they deserved to have access to.
According the Genesis 3, Eve fell for the lie, ate the fruit, and then persuaded Adam to follow 
suit. Thus the serpent enticed mankind into open rebellion against YHWH’s authority and brought death upon all future generations. A case can be made here that along with disobedience (rebellion) against the laws of YHWH, covetousness, and pride were also at work. Covetousness in desiring something they were not entitled to and pride in the realization that by their own efforts they might attain godhood.
Now might be a good time to remind ourselves that it was Satan’s own pride that gave rise to his self-deluded belief that he was equal to or greater than YHWH. This pride then led to Satan’s rebellion against YHWH with the result that he and a third of the angelic host were cast out of heaven. Ever since then it has been war, and this earth and the unseen realm related to it has been the battle field.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. (Revelation 12:9-12)
The heartbreaking reality of it is, that over the intervening millenniums that original promise of opening mankind’s eyes to the knowledge of good and evil has only brought darkness, sin, and death. Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened, but instead of becoming gods it only revealed to them their inadequacy before God. They decided to play by their own rules and it cost them dearly. These actions led to their separation from the presence of God.
A symbol of the French revolution – – – A serpent eating its tail fashioned as a point within a circle
What’s relevant to note here is that down through the ages those who still cling to some form of Satan’s original lie often represent that philosophy with the symbol of the open eye or one of its variants such as a point within a circle. This association between the open eye of enlightenment and the serpent is well illustrated in the Greek language with the word optanomai which means to see, look at, or behold. From optanomai we get the Greek ophthalmos which is the word for eye and the Greek ophis which is the word for serpent or snake.
I should make clear here that not all symbols have occult (hidden) meanings. Every time you see the open eye or point within a circle it doesn’t necessary represent some occult idea or philosophy. For some reason though, Satan and those who hold his world view, often communicate with these symbols.
Over the centuries Satan’s original lie has been repackaged and sold in many various forms by many different individuals and groups. Today one of its more well-known versions is called humanism and its cousin secular humanism. The Oxford dictionary defines humanism this way:
An outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.
Here is Wikipedia’s explanation of secular humanism:
“The philosophy or life stance of secular humanism embraces human reason, ethic, social justice, and philosophical naturalism while specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, pseudoscience, and superstition as the bases of morality and decision making.
Secular humanism posits that human beings are capable of being ethical and moral without religion or god.”
Sound familiar? It should. Humanism is basically a repackaged version of the serpent’s ancient lie with which he deceived Adam and Eve nearly six millennia ago. Mankind, so it is said, doesn’t need the morals of YHWH to function and succeed. Each of us can apply our own reason and knowledge to reach our fullest potential.
Today the religion of secular humanism has cleverly disguised itself as science. We call it naturalism, or evolution but it still has the same basic tenants which posit that the world around us and mankind especially is evolving and will with a bit of luck, rational thought, and specialized knowledge, forge itself into immortality and godhood.
Did you know that high priests of this science tell us that this divine moment is likely to be achieved in our own lifetimes? That’s correct, they project that mankind within the next decade or two will reach singularity and shortly thereafter immortality. Who needs God anyway? Lest the secular humanists get to giddy with excitement. Joseph Farah of WND recently explained (here) that secular humanists have an apocalyptic vision for mankind as well. So much for the man made utopia.
The reality though is that the “science” of secular humanism and Biblical world view are on a collision course which cannot be postponed much longer. YHWH, the living God of the Bible, told mankind that their sin would result in death and that our salvation and future immortality depend on accepting the unmerited favor of YHWH through the shed blood of Yeshua who paid the price for our sins.
Secular humanists on the other hand, tell us we are on the threshold of establishing our own immortality, that there is no such thing as sin or morality, and the only real obstacles to this utopian nirvana is mankind’s outdated belief in a divine Creator and its related antiquated thinking.
Someday in the not too distant future humanity will be compelled to choose which of these two belief systems we wish to follow. Only one can lead to eternal life. Do you realize the implications? In our lifetime one of these two beliefs will triumph and set our course for eternity. Whose vision for the future do you wish to entrust your immortality with?
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Now let’s jump to the future just before the return of Christ and look at the religion of the anti-christ to see how it is related to satan’s original lie. In the following passage the apostle Paul describes the end of this age and revealing of the man of sin.
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away {apostasia} first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)
This passage tells us that the man of sin (aka. the Anti-christ) just before the return of Yeshua, presents himself as god, thus bringing satan’s lie full circle. For a short period of time, it will appear that the secular humanistic dream of human evolution has been reached. A man has become a god! Unfortunately for humanity this god will be energized by Satan and for the short period of time that he is allotted it will be a living nightmare for those inhabitants of the earth who do not put their trust in Yeshua.
To summarize: In the beginning Lucifer sowed the seeds of pride and rebellion in the hearts of mankind and over the millenniums that sin is refined into a philosophy or religion with its own “scientific” view of the world. Today we call this version of the Luciferian world view secular humanism. Simply put, this view of the world is in open rebellion against the order and will of YHWH, the living God of the Bible. It is rebellion against the laws of God both natural and spiritual that were simply meant to protect us. This humanistic view of the world, I believe, is the mother of all other idolatry.
You see, once we take our eyes off YHWH and His world view, a darkness enters our hearts and minds. Like a distressed ship taking on water, our own life is slowly extinguished by the darkness which fills the void left by YHWH’s presence. In Romans 1 the apostle Paul explains the self-destructive path mankind follows when they reject to the truth of God. Whether we are talking about Adam and Eve’s actions or our own, the following passage gives us a template which all humanity follows:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 1:21-25)
From the passage above we learn that rejecting God’s truth brings darkness and depravity. In his epistle to the Galatians the apostle Paul further contrasts the fruit of those led by the Spirit of God and those led by their own flesh (humanism).
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-25)
In both of these passage we can see that humanism (mankind’s rejection of God’s truth/laws to live by their own rules) is the origin of idolatry. This then gives us reasonable grounds to conclude that it is humanism (first introduced to mankind by Satan in Eden) that is the religion of the Harlot described in Revelation 17. Further this MOTHER OF HARLOTS is the root or source of all idolatry and idolatrous religious practices found in the Bible.
Pick any idolatrous religious practice and it can be traced back to its source in the darkened foolish heart of some man or woman who rejected the truth of God. They in their pride decided to make their own path to God with their own laws and religious symbols.
In my previous article The Mother of Harlots, I made the point that by ignoring the most natural understanding of the term “mother” scholars have unwittingly been providing cover for the Mother of Harlots so that she can work her evil behind the scene while we as believers point accusing fingers at one of her idolatrous daughters.
Let me give a practical demonstration why this error is so dangerous. Many today rightfully point to the dangers and evils of Islam, 50 years ago it was the Soviet Union and 70 years ago it was the Nazis.
The following chart represents the number of people murdered each year by a nation of people who follow the tenants of secular humanism. Can you tell me the nation where these people are killed?
In the next chart are the number of people killed over the past 14 years by Global terrorism. In your view which of these two charts represents the greater evil?
I’m horrified to tell you that the first chart represents the number of innocent children killed each year in the USA. More than one million deaths each year since 1973!. Consider that for just a moment. Those deaths are 50 times the number of global deaths each year due to terrorism.
And if that is not enough to break your heart then take a look at the next chart. It represents the number of innocent children killed each year globally. Frankly, the number is unfathomable.
If you are wondering how it is possible that human beings who are made in the image of YHWH can kill 100’s of millions of the most innocent and vulnerable among us, you can thank mankind’s rejection of God’s truth and darkness which has resulted. Remember that secular humanism which tells us that:
“…human beings are capable of being ethical and moral without religion or god.”
Now consider the number of people killed by the secular humanists governments of China, North Korea, Soviet Union and their ilk over the past century (excluding abortion). 50, 100, 200 million? Hands down there is not a more blood thirsty and evil religion in this world than secular humanism.
Now if you are still wondering how this is possible, consider the USA for example. We once held Judeo-Christian values in high regard. But then something changed and we pushed God and his laws out of our lives, our schools, and government.
Today, we have nearly 100,000 public schools and 4000 institutions of higher education which teach the religion of secular humanism. By law we mandate that our children are taught in these churches of humanism for 12 years. And if by some miracle they survive with some vestige of their faith intact, we then send them to our temples of higher education where in most cases the remaining remnants of their faith is eradicated.
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:…” Romans 1:28-31
Now consider that this same religion is taught in the schools and universities across the western world and in some form in most of the other nations on this earth. Pick your religion, none come close to the evil and death perpetrated in the name of humanism.
Truly, we have met the enemy and it is us…
In closing I hope I’ve illustrated the importance of letting the Bible define its own context and the dangers of when we do not. The real enemy to Western civilization and the world is not the evil of Islam or some other form of idolatry but rather the secular humanistic world view which has created the moral vacuum where such idolatry can flourish.
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YHWH willing in my next blog post Babylon and the Harlot, I’ll fill in some of the details between Eden and the Anti-christ to show why the Bible associates the pride and rebellion of humanism with ancient Babylon. We will also explore why other ancient cities and their rulers were often related to Satan and his evil machinations. Then in Conspiracies of the Harlot we will look at how Humanism is the active agent which is used by divers groups of people with competing interests, religious backgrounds, and nationalities in a united effort to overthrow the authority of YHWH and undermine his redemptive plan for humanity.
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The Mystery Babylon Series
Part 1 The Mother of Harlots
Part 2 The Religion of the Harlot
Part 3 Babylon and the Harlot
Part 4 Conspiracies of the Harlot – Part I
Part 5 Conspiracies of the Harlot – Part II
Part 6 Symbols of the Harlot – Part I
Part 7 Symbols of the Harlot – Part II
Part 8 Symbols of the Harlot – Part III
Part 9 Symbols of the Harlot – Part IV
Part 10 Symbols of the Harlot – Part V
Part 11 Homo Deus
